Knitting vs. Crochet...the Eternal Struggle

2.17.2010


I have observed, as a general rule, that women either knit or crochet...but hardly ever do both. And the factor on which they choose is generally what their Grandma chose. My Granny is a knitter. And so is my Mom...so I became a knitter as well.

I like the look of finished knitting better, I love the clickity click of two needles dancing quickly together, I love thick cables and rolled cuffs and the look of a pair of knitting needles sticking out of a ball of yarn with a half-finished project attached.

However...
Knitting a flower is a pain in the butt. And sometimes I need a flower. In the past I have just called a crocheting friend and she whips me up a flower or two and then says, "It's SO easy! You should learn!" And I always so, "Nah. I'm a knitter." As if knitting and crocheting are mortal enemies and can never be left alone together. You know, like Crips and Bloods.

But now, I need a flower for an upcoming project. And as I picked up the phone to dial a crocheting friend I finally decided...hey, I think I'll just try it. So this week I embark on a journey to learn to crochet. I have found great step by step tutorials on the Lion Brand Yarn website and a tutorial on making this super-cute flower.

If I fail miserably I do have a backup plan. Making a flower using this handy tool.
Wish me luck! It may end in disaster, but who knows, maybe it will end swimmingly and I crochet flowers to adorn every single item in our house.

So, do you KNIT or do you CROCHET?

8 comments:

Kelly @ Make It Sparkly Mama said...

I actually KNOW HOW to do both, that being said, I only crochet. And not very well!LOL

scrapbookprintables said...

I do both and I can follow knitting and crochet patterns, BUT I don't do either very often, I prefer to sew and quilt, I like to see the end results quickly !

cassie said...

although I can crochet much better than I can knit, I prefer the finished look of knitting over crocheting. I find crocheting much easier to do and much easier to fix a mistake. I've always been intimidated by knitting, but two years ago I knitted myself a shawl. it's not too bad if the project is just a rectangle. the funny thing is that I found a single mitten that I knitted many years ago in my yarn box. I totally forgot that I tried to teach myself how to knit once before.

Ina said...

I can do both. I learned knitting first, and it seems to come easier to me. In making slippers or afghan squares,crochet is faster — even for a fast knitter.

j*e*n said...

I knit. I would like to learn to crochet, but not right now. I'm in the middle of knitting a blanket for my baby girl. And it's taking f.o.r.e.v.e.r. I think I'm going to have to find something else to work on, just to remind myself how good it feels to finish a project.

Paige said...

I do both. I learned knitting from my Granny as well, and then a friend taught me to crochet (which is way easier to learn than knitting, in my opinion!). Good luck! :)

jubistacha said...

I also do both. My mother is a knitter, so naturally I learned first knitting. But later I wanted to do come crocheting. So I checked some youtube tutorials...

Unknown said...

I was taught both, along with embroidery, by each of my grandmothers. However, one taught me knitting and embroidery, and the other taught me to crochet. For whatever reason, I definitely prefer to crochet. I also love to create my own embroidery designs. I think what happened was my Gram taught me to crochet along with my sister and cousin. She almost gave up on me, but once I learned how to do it, I loved it forever. I lost Gram thirty years ago, and when I crochet, I feel her peeking over my shoulder. Nana left this world fourteen years ago, and when I embroider freehand I can feel her smiling at my work. The few times I have knitted, I have never felt Nana beside me. I don't know if this is because she disapproves or is uninterested in my knitting or if she preferred embroidery over knitting; therefore, she only comes around me when I am doing freehand embroidery. Regardless, I do crochet, embroidery and sewing. This was a great question to ask, and I am eager to see what others have to say on this topic.